追
Character Story & Explanation
追 (zhuī) is ubiquitous in modern Chinese: used in daily speech for chasing buses, pursuing dreams, or tracking deliveries. It appears in key idioms like 追根究底 (zhuī gēn jiū dǐ, 'to get to the bottom of something') and the historical phrase 追封 (zhuī fēng, 'posthumous enfeoffment'), documented in imperial records like the Ming Shi. Its most frequent modern compound is 追求 (zhuīqiú, 'to pursue'), central to expressions about ambition and love.
The character evolved from seal script, where 辶 (walking radical) frames the phonetic 是 (shì). While its earliest attested form (4th c. BCE Chu bamboo slips) shows clear motion semantics, no evidence links it to sculpture. Instead, people today use 追 constantly — scrolling through '追剧' (zhuī jù, 'binge-watching dramas') or '追星' (zhuī xīng, 'idol worship') — all rooted in the idea of active, directed pursuit.
As a detective tracing 追, I begin at the crime scene: the character’s official dictionary entry says 'to pursue' — not 'to sculpt'. The claim that 追 means 'to sculpt' is factually incorrect. No authoritative source (Xiandai Hanyu Cidian, ABC Dictionary, HSK lists, or historical texts) supports this meaning. The character has only two standard readings: zhuī (common, meaning 'to chase, pursue, seek') and the rare duī (archaic literary variant, still meaning 'to pursue').
The radical 辶 (chuò, 'walking') confirms motion — not carving. Its phonetic component 是 (shì) hints at pronunciation, not semantics. In oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, no precursor of 追 appears; it first surfaces in Warring States bamboo slips meaning 'to follow closely'. Sculpting is rendered by characters like 雕 (diāo) or 刻 (kè), never 追.
This misattribution may stem from confusion with homophones or typographical errors — perhaps mistaking 追 for 雕 (diāo, 'to carve') or misreading a handwritten note. As a linguistic investigator, I must report: 追 does not mean 'to sculpt'. Its semantic core is pursuit — physical, intellectual, or emotional. To teach otherwise risks undermining learners’ accuracy and trust in foundational vocabulary.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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